Truffles.....prices

[chrose]

Bouland you are of course, correct on this. The Oregon Truffles had a distinct difference as I noted from the French ones. Last December or so they switched over to the French ones and they just never went away so I guess I never really thought about it.
I'll have to ask the produce mgr. but they had fresh french truffles all year round.
Unless Oregon has figured out how to cultivate Tuber melanosporum.

wait a sec! News flash!!!
Unless they are actually: gasp, the dreaded Tuber Aestivum, Scorzone Black Summer Truffle.

Now I'm embarrassed that I didn't even think about it!

Oh well as they say in Canada c'est la vie
Still the rice is a good deal and if you don't think too hard you can probably allow yourself to be fooled.

[shroomgirl]

Funnnnnny!!!!! Make your own reality. What are you serving with your truffle rice (is it Arborio?)

[chrose]

Shroomgirl,

Make your own reality

That's my motto (or at least it ought to be)
I am not kidding you when I tell you that I had a dream about truffles last night. I don't remember a lot of it, but I do remember that I had a Truffle the size of a baseball in my hot little hands. I twisted it open and was looking for the classic Truffle smell. It was too faint and the Truffle was kind of weird (as was the dream)
Anyway, I don't know what I'm going to do with the rice just yet. I'm actually not even sure what rice they keep them in. I'll have to take a look. I hope it's Arborio and I can make my favorite Risotto Milanaise!

[SlaveGirl]

I came face to face with a truffle for the first time last night. Two nights ago I had my first taste of truffle oil, in a half moon pasta dish. I could smell a strong mushroomy smell, yummy!

Last night the exec chef put two white truffles out on a dish with eggs and uncooked rice. Everyone on the staff eventually got around to sniffing them. STRONG! Ick! They didn't smell very good. Someone commented they were the first batch in this year, and would be better later on. I tried a piece of cheese later on that was infused with truffle goodness, and I could taste it immediately, recognizing it from the oil in my dinner the night before. It really does stand out, doesn't it? I never knew it was the smell of the truffle that imparts the flavor to other things, I thought you just cooked with it and it had a taste itself. There's a plastic jar full of rice and eggs, and truffles buried inside waiting to be used in the future.

The restaurant has a truffle dinner in November, and I am excited to work that night and see what it is all about!

Slavegirl
http://www.restaurantslave.com

[chrose]

Here's a comment some might find odd, but so what else is new?
When I am asked to describe truffles I can only answer in one way. I tell them they smell like sex.
Seriously. What I mean by that is the scent has a natural earthiness to them. It is a phermone type of attraction. Why do you think it drives pigs so wild!!!
That to me is the underlying attraction to them, not sex per se, but that animal sort of attraction....truffles, my wife, family web site...oops gotta go.

See ya

[Isa]

In truffles, do size matter? I saw a bottle with two small truffles, about the size of a jelly bean and I am wondering if it would be a good buy.


Thanks!

[bouland]

Isa: Whether or not it is a good buy depends on the price. When I used to travel to Europe a couple of times a month, the airport in Frankfurt was usually my last stop before coming home. I'd go to the grocery store in the basement of the airport and spend leftover DM on RitterSport chocolate bars and 25-gram bottles of truffles. My experience with the bottled truffles was that they were usualy pretty tasteless and odorless, but were useful on dishes for decorative purposes. Other than name, these bottled truffles had little in common with a nice, fresh truffle. I used to pay about $8 for 25 grams.

[Isa]

Thanks Bouland. I think the bottle was around 8$ for two or three little truffles.

[shroomgirl]

Isa you are a hoot!!! The jarred ones I got were not great...I've had a slice of truffle the size of a quarter and 1/10th or so of an inch thick...the flavors kept changing in my mouth, most amazing thing I've eaten, well up there.

[Isa]

Goes to show you can be too small.


I shall check out more truffle option.